Snapshot
- ANCAP and EuroNCAP agree on the 2030 vision.
- Separating crash safety scores and autonomous assistance ratings
- Greater focus on gender and age diversity in crash testing
- American ‘full-size pickups’ at ANCAP locations
- Inclusion of motorcycles, heavy commercial vehicles in the program
Independent testing bodies ANCAP and Euro NCAP have outlined their vision for vehicle safety in 2030.
A renewed outlook on driver assistance technologies will go hand-in-hand with safer driving features, crash protection and post-crash response.
Apart from evaluating the effectiveness of safety features such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and blind spot monitoring, testing bodies are also evaluating the systems’ user-friendliness (HMI).
The changes will be reflected in changes to four key assessment areas for both ANCAP and Euro NCAP, from 2026 they will be: safe driving; accident prevention; accident protection; Safety after an accident.
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The latest standards introduced by ANCAP from 2023 – including flood water tests – will remain in place until 2026.
In addition to passenger and light commercial vehicles, ANCAP and Euro NCAP are considering adding procedures to test motorcycles and scooters as well as heavy goods vehicles.
ANCAP CEO Carla said, “The release of the 2030 Vision sets out key assessment and evaluation focus areas for the industry – both for our current automotive industry stakeholders, and industry stakeholders. for a new group of people who were not previously involved in the ANCAP process,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.
“The move to explore the diagnosis of medium and heavy trucks is a significant change and seeks to address the over-representation of these vehicles in road fatalities and serious injuries.”
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While car companies are targeting net zero emissions by 2050, ANCAP is striving to reduce road deaths to zero by 2050, and the Vision 2030 plan is the first step.
“The automotive industry continues to innovate and is already providing safety systems that exceed current regulatory requirements.
“By establishing timely voluntary standards for innovative safety features and technologies, ANCAP is a catalyst for accelerating and promoting best practice in passenger and commercial vehicle fleets.”
Go ahead with what interests you.
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What are the new ANCAP tests?
ANCAP has already made detailed updates to its 2023-2025 Protocol, some of which fall under Vision 2030. But more is coming from 2026, with the goal of increasing real-world safety performance.
Direct driver monitoring systems will be kept under scrutiny. More than indirect monitoring, ANCAP wants to see the ability to detect short-term impairment, for example from alcohol or other influences, and adjust the car’s performance accordingly.
Furthermore, direct recognition of different occupant classifications, for example child or adult, can be switched with airbag and crash protection features.
Speed control feature The review will be renewed with specific Australian input. ANCAP will assess how close the cars stay to the chosen speed, with 3km/h considered appropriate.
Separate testing of level two and three autonomous driving Technology will be offered separately for the ANCAP Star rating. The result will be a complementary score for autonomous tech. ANCAP is also monitoring progress in early obstacle detection.
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Crash avoidance systems As AEB has been a big talking point of late. For 2023, motorcycle AEB detection is required. For 2026, this will be revised, possibly at an increased pace. ANCAP is also investigating how to test the effectiveness of AEB in the real world outside the lab.
A positive human machine interface will also be considered. This means an advance warning before AEB application, and any bells or warnings surrounding its application. Pedal misuse is also being monitored. ANCAP recently noted an increase in this trend in Australia and New Zealand.
Protection of pedestrians and cyclists Improvements will be encouraged, particularly greater protection on the A-pillar, after the new crash form structure mandates in 2023.
Resident protection Repairs will be carried out with more diverse testing dummies – including the ‘THOR 5F Small Female Dummy’. Also from 2026, ANCAP will consider whether simulating these tests using computers is sufficient, which could save money. Australia and New Zealand will continue their high-profile child ban policies.
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Safety after an accident It’s also on the cards, although Australia and New Zealand’s mobile networks aren’t advanced enough to score these features the way Euro NCAP does in the short term. From 2026, it will be included in the standard in some form.
ANCAP aspirations
The following points are defined as targets by ANCAP.
- Strengthen carryover test procedures
- Implement an over-the-air software update policy for security systems.
- Maintain and update dual classification policy Aus/NZ.
- Changes to the star rating system
ANCAP is focusing more on real-world testing and evidence that can be used to improve safety systems. For example, simulating real traffic scenarios to test crash avoidance features.
There will also be a new focus on driver and occupant monitoring systems, active systems that can detect more than fatigue levels but also potential short-term impairments.
Another area is the wide spread of gender- and age-level tests in protocols to better represent the real population. Finally, adding new testing scenarios is part of ANCAP’s 2030 push.
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More vehicle types have been added to ANCAP testing.
In addition to more stringent testing for light vehicles, ANCAP is also looking to integrate motorcycles and heavy commercial vehicles into the procedure.
ABS must be mandatory on new motorcycles sold in Australia from 2017 with new models and existing models must adopt the technology by 2021.
ANCAP has expressed an interest in cracking down on the growing number of American-sized ‘pickup trucks’ such as RAM 1500s and Chevrolet Silverados that, with their commercial intent, currently miss ANCAP’s test circle.
The increase in popularity “makes a compelling case for ANCAP to assess the comparative safety of these vehicles,” the Vision 2030 document says.
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Other goods vehicles at ANCAP locations are light trucks (3.5-8 tonnes GVM), the report reads:
“In 2021, 64 Australians died in collisions involving rigid trucks. 80 per cent of these fatalities were between the driver of the colliding (opposing) vehicle and a pedestrian or cyclist (vulnerable road user), and in these fatal crashes More than 60 percent occurred on roads in major cities and other urban areas.
ANCAP’s first step will be to investigate whether a similar grading program could be applied to light trucks, as was done by the independent safety testing body for 16 vans in February this year.
Larger trucks, classified as medium and large, have more stringent licensing requirements and are underrepresented in road fatalities. However, ANCAP is still offering guidance for consumers to make safe choices.